She spent decades helping the Philippines’ poorest people, but Australian nun Patricia Fox is fighting deportation after drawing President Duterte’s ire — and says she will try to return even if expelled.
The 71-year-old Melbourne native is due to be kicked out of the country by May 25 after Duterte personally accused her of political activism that violates the rules of her visa.
Fox was singled out as Manila cracks down on foreign critics on its soil, where the president’s deadly anti-drug war has provoked a storm of international condemnation.
The government deportation order against her sparked outrage from rights advocates and the religious community, but authorities are pressing ahead.
“I’m still hoping that somehow something will happen (to stop the expulsion),” she told AFP in Manila.
Even if her appeal fails, Fox said she would still like to return and resume her work in the nation that has been home since 1990.
“If I can come back as a tourist I’ll try and come back,” she said. “This is my life.” (AFP)
